Bob - Some exciting videos, to be sure! I hope by watching this stuff and reading the comments and reviews of other TI owners, it'll help with my learning curve, once my own Tandem Island arrives.

Questions: (1) I thought I'd been reading that the rear seat was favored for solo-sailing. The video looked like you were in front - do you prefer the forward seat? Have you found there are conditions when one position is better than the other? Gee, did I miss an alternate thread on this topic? (2) I have a set of your AI sprayskirts - and I see you've fitted your TI with a set. Do the AI skirts transfer to the TI, do they need alot of modification, or should I start planning/sewing a new set?

Thanks for the videos. At this point I'm just hoping my Tandem Island arrives before the oil does. It's hard enough to wait for delivery. It'll be harder to have it, but then not have any clean water to enjoy it in.

Questions: (1) I thought I'd been reading that the rear seat was favored for solo-sailing. The video looked like you were in front - do you prefer the forward seat? Have you found there are conditions when one position is better than the other? Gee, did I miss an alternate thread on this topic?

I was going to try both seats, but when I moved to the rear seat, I could not reliably cleat the reefing line, and the conditions required often changing of the reefing . I was NOT willing to allow Murphy to un-cleat the reefing line at the most un-opportune time, so I moved back. I may look at adding an additional cleat for the reefing line on the rear aka x-brace for the rear seat solo sailing. I do like the front seat, but I was burying the bow often.

toomanyboats wrote:

(2) I have a set of your AI sprayskirts - and I see you've fitted your TI with a set. Do the AI skirts transfer to the TI, do they need a lot of modification, or should I start planning/sewing a new set?

I did have to re-tool for the TI sprayskirt, as it's about 6" shorter than the AI one. I've made a couple so far, and it works well. The TI is very dry under 6mph, but much wetter than an AI above 6mph. The bow wave kicks up and hits the front aka knuckle and splashes everywhere without a sprayskirt. In the videos, if you notice, the camera was not getting splashed (nor I).

Also, both rear aka in the wind waves, kept disconnecting and trying to separate from the x-bar. If it wasn't for the spectra line leashes I made, I would have been in trouble, many times. Matt, how's the fix coming?

Joanie, it's terrible what's happening in the gulf, and we'll all be feeling it for years to come in higher costs of food, and destroyed habitat and damaged beautiful areas. Sad

Thanks for those insights Bob.I too wondered why you were sitting in the front seat. Haven't been able to launch my TI yet due to work and very bad weather. I asked Roadrunner this question and would be interested in your reply.You are going out solo sailing and on the beach are an AI and a TI.Which do you choose?

Also, both rear aka in the wind waves, kept disconnecting and trying to separate from the x-bar. If it wasn't for the spectra line leashes I made, I would have been in trouble, many times. Matt, how's the fix coming?

Has Hobie issued some kind of bulletin about this ? Or should I make sure my dealer is aware of this before I take home my TI?Maybe I missed it, can you tell me more about your "Temp" fix to this issue.Thanks!

We have informed all dealers that the aka lock parts have had a tolerance issue. We have replacement parts just about ready to ship. This may effect boats shipped prior to May 17th.

Text from the dealer bulletin:

Quote:

Tandem Island Aka Locking IssueSome Tandem Islands may have an issue with aka locking hardware. The Tandem Island aka lock system my not be properly engaging on some boats. It may be possible for an aka to disengage from the crossbar when in use.

Since testing the connection can be somewhat subjective, we recommend that all TIs, delivered to this point, receive a set of replacement aka locking collars.

Our solution is in process, we will distribute replacement parts for all effected Tandem Islands directly to dealers who purchased these boats when the parts become available (Approximately 1–2 weeks). More details will be sent in the coming days.

In the meantime, a simple length of line, used to tie the akas into the crossbars, can be used as a safe guard for continued use of the product until the replacement parts are delivered.

Please contact Hobie Warranty with any concerns you may have regarding this issue.

On May 17th we began to modify the latch on all boats to better engage with the above mentioned collar. The latch fix is more difficult as they have to be removed from the crossbar, so for field fixes... we opted for the collar replacement.

Fyi... if you were to do the latch fix instead of waiting for collar parts... you remove the 4 screws holding each latch in position. Depress the buttons and force the latch out of the crossbar with a long dowel or rod from the opposite end of the crossbar. You file off material (half the height is plenty) on a ledge around each button to allow the latch to open more fully (locked position is open / relaxed position of the latch) when in the crossbar. Squeeze the latch with pliers and slide back into the crossbar. Position to where the buttons pop back in place. Re-install the screws.

The spectra line 'leash' and knots that were stretched tight when I started, stretched 1/2" more on each side in 3 hours of sailing. So a lot of force must be on those rear aka connections.

Great boat, but much different sailing than the AI. My left arm is sore from the my fingers to my shoulder from steering it. And both arms are sore from working the lines. Tight, harder steering, like the original AI rudder. It can turn on a dime, but the lines stretched enough that the steering became sloppy, which became interesting while surf sailing in the wind waves.

Also, with it being longer than the AI, on waves the AI would have done well with, the TI quickly nosed into the front wave while the rear wave spun it around like a top 180 degrees in a second. Looked spectacular from afar, but didn't feel too good at the time. But finally on some wider spaced wind waves, I was able to surf them and get over 10mph to +11mph for quite a few seconds (20-40?), longer than normal with the AI.

The larger mast and sail is great but can quickly overwhelm the boat if not careful. It will take more experience to learn how much I will need to reef under which conditions, and be able to 'feel' the boat like I can the AI now. I can't seem to let out or pull in the reefing line when wind is in the sail, like I can in the AI. I can't yet tell if it's pressure on the mast cup area, or the bend in the mast (boy does it bend!). Also the rudder is very powerful when moving but requires small movements at speed or it will overwhelm the boat also (90 degree turn in 1/2 second ). So it's in it's own class and will require new skills to master it in stronger wind and waves.

So yesterday: 11.1mph top speed (for a couple of seconds), over 10mph often, 17.29 miles sailed in 3:15 for a moving average of 5.3mph (actually faster, as we stopped for a snack in there). Now, more things to tighten and mod.

I asked Roadrunner this question and would be interested in your reply.You are going out solo sailing and on the beach are an AI and a TI.Which do you choose?

Either, they're both great boats. For now, if conditions were marginal, probably the AI because I have more experience with her, but that could change over time.

The TI is built heaver and should take rough conditions better, but it's a LOT more boat! Length, Width, Sail & Mast, and Rudder make it (so far) a lot more to wrestle with if conditions deteriorate. Yesterdays forecast was 15mph but the gusts were more than predicted, and at times I had my hands full.

Thanks for the info. I haven't had a chance to go solo from the front seat yet. But riding 3-4' swells as I was leaving Pepekeo Pt caused the front of my to dig in a bit at times. Despite going solo from the rear seat. So my hands were constantly on the rudder controls to turn the boat a bit just before a 13' ama start burying itself. There seems to be a happy medium if you can be about 45 degrees from the face of the wave if possible. x2 that it's a lot of boat to handle solo in marginal conditions. But I like the stability the TI provides when compared to being out on my Prowler 15. Guess there are some pros and cons. But the TI is making it fun learning how to handle a bigger and heavier boat.

Fyi... if you were to do the latch fix instead of waiting for collar parts... you remove the 4 screws holding each latch in position. Depress the buttons and force the latch out of the crossbar with a long dowel or rod from the opposite end of the crossbar. You file off material (half the height is plenty) on a ledge around each button to allow the latch to open more fully (locked position is open / relaxed position of the latch) when in the crossbar. Squeeze the latch with pliers and slide back into the crossbar. Position to where the buttons pop back in place. Re-install the screws.

SO That's what's in there!

Before

After

Tough material. I ended up snipping off part with dikes, then filing with a medal file and shaving with a single-sided razor blade.

Interesting design. But, I think I'll keep the leashes for a while longer

Hi Reconlon, this might sound like a stupid question, but I've never sailed an AI, or TI, and I'm wondering what you mean by "at times you had your hands full" with the TI compared to the AI.

I'm just curious what makes it different then the AI. I'm considering either the TI or AI, and I'm leaning heavily to the TI, but the lighter weight of the AI makes it more attractive to car top. So any word on the sailing differences would be helpful to me as well.

I'm wondering what you mean by "at times you had your hands full" with the TI compared to the AI.

I've been sailing the AI's now for over 3 1/2 years, and I'm just getting use to the TI with just 5 sails under my belt and only one of them solo, so in the long run it may be just getting comfortable with the new boat. I know it's a new boat, but just looking at it, you'd think it's just a bigger AI with a 2nd seat.

OH NO IT'S NOT! It's a whole new boat with it's own new quirks, and wonders.

That 34 more inches if mast, and 32 1/2 sqft more of sail give us SO much more to work with than the AI has. And the larger, longer rudder in combination with the very large daggerboard makes that larger hull turn on a dime (sometimes by itself if your not careful).

So, we got what we wanted, most every little complaint about the AI, the Hobie engineers addressed in this new design, now it's up to us to learn it and learn how to tame it to be the best boat for us for any given conditions. I am a bit sorer today than I am normally after a wild AI sail, and I trailered it so no lifting or dragging was involved.

The TI rudder handle sometimes is much harder to turn (like the old AI rudders), but if you do manage to turn it, it WILL turn that big hull. And The TI mast is almost impossible to reef/unreef with wind in the sail, unlike the AI. And setup with duel sheetline controls (default), it can take both hands to adjust, even uncleat the sheetline when under pressure from the wind. Most of these problems we'll figure out, and in lighter winds that most will sail in, it may not be much of an issue.

I am the same as 'augaug'; I think I want the TI, however I have not seen it in the flesh. Looking forward to next weekend; this is when is is unpacked by me local dealer.Would you say it handles like a big hobie cat?

Either way reconlon the pain in your body; consider it a work out, no gym workout.